Fable Number 184 ~ Winter and Spring

Winter made fun of Spring and mocked her for the fact that as soon as Spring appears, nobody can keep still. Some people go off to the meadows or into the woods, others like to gather flowers and lilies or perhaps gaze upon a rose as they twirl it in the air, or to twine it in their hair; while some board ships and even cross the sea to meet different kinds of people. No one worries any longer about the winds or the great downpours of rain from the sky. 

"Whereas I resemble a dictator or a despot," said Winter. "I command everyone to look not at the sky, but down to the ground. I frighten them and make them tremble and sometimes I make them content themselves while having to stay indoors all day." 

Spring replied: "Indeed, that is exactly why mankind would be glad to get rid of you, whereas even the mere mention of my name is enough to bring them pleasure. By Zeus, there is no name more pleasant than mine! That is why they think fondly of me when I am gone and give thanks when I appear again."

Fable Number 137 ~ The Nightengale, the Hawk, and the Bird-Catcher

A hawk alighted in a nightengale's nest and found her baby chicks there. When the nightengale returned, she begged him to spare her chicks. The hawk said, "I will grant your request if you sing me a pretty song." Even though she mustered all her courage, the nightengale trembled with fear. Stricken with terror, she started to sing but her song was full of grief. The hawk, who had seized her chicks, exclaimed, "That is not a very nice song!" He then snatched up one of the chicks and swallowed it. Meanwhile, a bird-catcher approached from behind and stealthily raised his snare: the hawk was caught in the sticky birdlime and fell to the ground and was captured.

Moral: People who lay traps for others should be careful not to fall into a trap themselves.

Fable Number 173 ~ The Man Bitten by the Dog

A man who had just been badly bitten by a dog was looking for someone who could heal his wound. He ran into a man who told him, “Here is what you need to do: Let the blood from your wound drip onto a piece of bread and then feed the bread to the dog who bit you. If you do that, your wound will be cured.” 

The man who had been bitten by the dog replied, “But if I do that, every single dog in the city will want to bite me!”

Moral: If someone honors a wicked man, the wicked man will not return the favor, since his only friends are other wicked men like himself.

Fable Number 329 ~ The Beauty Contest of the Birds

A beauty contest was held and all the birds went to be judged by Zeus. Hermes fixed the appointed day and the birds flocked to the rivers and ponds where they shed their shabby feathers and preened their finer ones. The jackdaw, however, had no natural advantages to commend his appearance, so he decorated himself with the feathers that had been cast aside by the other birds. The owl alone recognized her own feathers and took them away from the jackdaw, and she incited the other birds to do the same. When the jackdaw had been stripped bare by everyone, he went before the judgement of Zeus naked.

Moral: Adornments that do not belong to you can lead to humiliation.

Fable 203 ~ THE OLIVE TREE AND THE FIG TREE

When a fig tree lost all of her leaves during the winter, a nearby olive tree made fun of her nakedness. “In both winter and summer,” the olive tree said, “I am beautifully adorned with leaves, ever green with new life, whereas your beauty lasts only as long as the summer.” While the olive tree was boasting, the snow began to fall. The white flakes clung to the leaves of the olive tree, piling up on her branches until they cracked under the weight and crashed to the ground, ruining the tree. Meanwhile the fig tree stood by, safe and sound.

Moral: People who boast of their wealth or their fortune can meet with unexpected disaster.

Fable Number 397 ~ The Sheep, the Goat, and the Sow

A man rounded up a sow, a goat, and a sheep from his farm. While the donkey carried them all to the city, the goat and the sheep settled down quietly, but the sow's screams bothered their chauffeur, so the donkey said to the sow, "Why on earth can't you go along quietly like the others?" The sow replied, "The goat is being brought here for her milk, the sheep for his wool, but for me this is a matter of life and death!"

Moral: Each man has his own reason for acting as he does.

The Blind Man & the Cub ~ Aesop Fable #37

There was a blind man who was in the habit of identifying any animal that was placed in his hands by touching it. Once they gave him a wolf cub. Even after stroking the animal he was not sure of its identity, so he said, "I'm not sure whether it is the cub of a wolf or a fox or some similar creature. But I do know this is not the kind of animal that should accompany a flock of sheep!"

Moral: In the same way, bad people are revealed by their features.

Fox & Cock in a Tree ~ Aesop Fable #149

A dog and a rooster became friends and made a journey together. When night fell, they came to a place in the woods. The rooster took his seat up in the branches of a tree while the dog went to sleep in a hollow at the foot of the tree. The night passed and day dawned and the rooster crowed loudly, as roosters do. A fox heard the rooster and wanted to make a meal of him, so she ran up and stood at the foot of the tree and shouted to the rooster, “You are an excellent bird and so useful to people! Why don’t you come down and we’ll sing some songs together, delighting in one another’s company?” The rooster replied, “Go over to the foot of the tree, my dear, and tell the watchman to let you wait there for me.” When the fox went to announce herself, the dog suddenly leaped up and grabbed the fox and tore her to pieces, much to the rooster’s relief.

Moral: If you are wise, you take up arms to save yourself whenever you run into trouble.